


deep end

by oddeyejinsol



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, jiwoo is annoying, lifeguard AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 06:14:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19312294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddeyejinsol/pseuds/oddeyejinsol
Summary: jiwoo is a professional swimmer, but the new lifeguard is way too cute to pass up an opportunity to be rescued.





	deep end

**Author's Note:**

> julia and marina gave me this as a penalty for losing at hunger games simulator but honestly it was a reward! this was fun to write i hope yall enjoy <3

Jungeun is a big fan of the summertime. It’s warm, classes are over, and she always gets to spend a month in her dad’s luxurious beach house. This year he’s even decided to let her stay alone for the first time, choosing to take an overseas trip with his brand new wife instead. In hindsight, Jungeun should have known it was a trap. 

“You want me to get a … job?” She stares at her father over the kitchen counter. Of course he drops this bomb on her right before he drives back. 

“You already have a job,” he corrects her. “I signed you up to be a lifeguard at the local beach, and your schedule starts next week.”

Jungeun’s jaw drops. “Dad, what?! That’s so unfair! I’m supposed to be on vacation right now!”

“In the real world, life doesn’t stop when you’re on vacation,” he says simply. “Jungeun, you need to start learning how to be self-sufficient. This is an easy job, only twice a week. It’ll ease you into working.”

“I just won’t show up,” she threatens, knowing how petty she sounds and not caring. She was expecting to spend her summer snoozing in the sun and clubbing, not frying on the beach and trying to make sure stupid children don’t drown. 

“Then you’ll have to find some other way to fund your summer activities, because I won’t,” her dad says with a shrug, and Jungeun’s eyes bulge out of her head. Before she can respond, he crosses the room and gives her a one-armed hug. 

“You’ll thank me for this later,” he promises, and then slips out of the house quickly, already predicting the tantrum that’s coming. 

Jungeun is mid-way through preparing to trash the house and go out clubbing when she realizes she’s already spent half of her money on vodka, heavy in the bottom of her bag. And the fridge is empty. 

She sighs, deeply, and begins to unpack. 

She ends up going to the lifeguard orientation with her tail between her legs, and by the next week she’s in an ugly red swimsuit surveying the beach. Despite her swearing up and down that she’d never talk to her dad again (but not before leaving him many angry voicemails), it’s not awful so far. It’s kind of fun sitting in the tall lifeguard chair and people-watching. Plus, she’s still working on her tan, so it isn’t a total loss. All she has to do is make sure nobody drowns. Easy.

What she doesn’t realize as she watches the beach is that she’s being watched as well. She’s caught the eye of a certain redhead, lounging several feet below under an umbrella beside her best friend.

“How fast do you think I can swim out to the buoy?” Hyunjin muses, slathering sunscreen on her face. Her voice shakes Jiwoo out of her unabashed staring.

“Hey, we’re here to swim for fun, not for training,” she chides. 

“Yeah, but the swim meet is in two weeks!” Hyunjin argues. “If we’re gonna make the national team, we gotta work extra hard. Can you do my back?”

Jiwoo accepts the sunscreen and gets to work, but finds that her eyes keep drifting back up. “That new lifeguard is cute, isn’t she?” she remarks, nudging Hyunjin’s chin so that she can follow her gaze.

“Yup. Totally out of your league though,” Hyunjin says cheerily, and yelps when Jiwoo ‘accidentally’ flicks a glob of sunscreen into her hair. 

After a few moments of squabbling and a threat to pour sunscreen down Jiwoo’s swimming bottoms, they’re ready to begin their swim. Hyunjin jumps straight in as expected, going straight for the buoy that marks the swimming cutoff. Jiwoo has trained with her long enough to be able to tell by her measured strokes that she’s timing herself.

Jiwoo, however, chooses to actually enjoy her day off, slowly easing into the cool water and paddling around idly. Her laziness eventually gets the better of her and she flips over onto her back, floating like a starfish. Coincidentally, that position also gives her a great view of the hot lifeguard, who is shading her eyes from the sun and looking utterly bored.

_ Well, maybe I can make things a little more exciting _ , Jiwoo thinks to herself, already feeling the cogs in her mind turning. She drifts closer until she’s sure she’s in the lifeguard’s line of sight, and then begins thrashing around. 

“Ow, cramp!” she shrieks, splashing aggressively. Of course, she always stretches sufficiently and doesn’t even know what a cramp feels like, but her acting is convincing enough. The lifeguard’s eyes zero in on her at once, and she seems frozen in place for a split second. Then, she’s scaling the ladder down with surprising quickness. She doesn’t hesitate before diving into the water, making her way to Jiwoo with fast, broad strokes.

When the lifeguard grabs her waist Jiwoo has to duck her head under the water to hide her grin.  _ I’m so smart _ , she thinks, letting herself be dragged limply back to shore. Sadly, the arm around her waist is gone far too soon and she’s being tossed rather unceremoniously onto the wet sand. Still, Jiwoo is dedicated to her act, and starts spluttering for air and gripping her calf.

“You saved me!” she gasps, and pushes herself up into a sitting position. The lifeguard sits back on her knees, running a hand through her now-wet hair. The look on her face is a mixture of concerned and annoyed.

“You would’ve been fine, the water’s only five feet deep,” she replies. Her eyes dart to where Jiwoo’s hand is still pressed to her leg. “Is that where the cramp is?”

Jiwoo nods, trying to look pitiful, but she definitely doesn’t expect the lifeguard to remove her hand and replace it with her own, her fingers massaging the muscle. Jiwoo can tell by the press of her fingers that she’s only just learned how to do this, but still, she’s doing pretty well. If there was actually a cramp, it probably would have been relieved by now.

“Thank you,” Jiwoo says demurely, fluttering her eyelashes, but the lifeguard’s already lost interest, standing up and brushing the sand off her knees. Jiwoo scrambles to get up too, finding herself face to face with the girl. Actually, she’s the  _ tiniest _ bit taller, which she has to note for her own self esteem.  

“Can I at least get the name of my savior?” she asks.

The lifeguard sighs. “It’s Jungeun. Just stretch before you start swimming, okay?” With that she turns to walk back to her post, and Jiwoo doesn’t bother trying to be subtle about her admiration of the girl’s backside in the snug one-piece.

In case Jungeun is still watching from her seat, Jiwoo makes a show of stretching before returning to the water, swimming out to where Hyunjin is now floating in place, looking at her in disdain.

“You’re a horrible person, you know,” she says once Jiwoo swims into earshot.

“And you’re my friend, so what does that make you?” Jiwoo laughs.

“A masochist,” Hyunjin says, and Jiwoo dunks her head under the water.

* * *

Apart from that incident, the rest of Jungeun’s first shift passes by rather unremarkably. There’s one kid who gets pinched by a crab and another who accidentally snorts ocean water, but thankfully no more drowning close calls.

The girl she’d saved was kind of cute, though. Clearly an idiot, not knowing how to swim at her age, but still. Maybe a little cute. 

Or maybe Jungeun's just getting antsy. At around this point in her vacation she’s used to hitting the streets and making out with pretty girls in dimly-lit clubs. Now, the thought of having to sit in that tall chair in the baking sun with a hangover is enough to keep her far away from the nightlife. Instead she nurses an unreasonably tall glass of vodka alone on the couch, mourning the death of her summer.

To make matters worse, the girl is on the beach when she comes in for her next shift, too. It isn’t hard to spot her in the crowd, her bright hair singling her out easily. To Jungeun’s surprise, she’s actually stretching this time, and thoroughly too.  _ Looks like she actually listened to me _ , Jungeun thinks, slightly impressed.

That feeling doesn’t last very long, though. She’s just begun to zone out, thinking about what to eat on her lunch break, when she hears a familiar piercing scream. It takes about two seconds to spot that shock of red hair bobbing up and down and splashing wildly.

This time she isn’t burdened by the anxiety of having to save her first person, and she leaps down from the chair with ease. In a matter of minutes she’s retrieved the girl, still kicking and screaming, her elbow almost taking Jungeun's eye out as she drags her back to the beach.

“Oh, thank you!” the girl cries, tumbling dramatically onto the sand. “Thank you so much, Jungeun.”

“What the hell was the matter this time?” Jungeun asks, hands on her hips. “Cause I saw you stretching, so I know it wasn’t a cramp.”

The girl’s eyes widen. “Oh! Something grabbed my leg, I’m sure of it. I think it was even a shark.”

“Don’t say that word on a public beach!” Jungeun exclaims in alarm, looking around to see if anyone overheard. When she’s sure people aren’t going to start running and screaming, she continues, “besides, there aren’t any of  _ those things  _ in this part of the ocean. It was probably some seaweed.”

The girl pouts, looking unfairly adorable. “Well. It was still really scary for me! I feel so much safer now, though.” She smiles winningly. “I’m Jiwoo, by the way.”

“Okay, Jiwoo. I’m gonna go back to my chair now. You know, in case someone  _ actually  _ needs saving.” She gets up with a huff and walks away, leaving Jiwoo on the ground with her smile fading into a frown.

Defeated, Jiwoo goes back to the umbrella under which Hyunjin is sitting and reading. She throws herself onto the towel beside her with a loud sigh, choosing to ignore the way Hyunjin’s expression instantly goes from calm to exasperated. “I don’t get it! I’m being so charming, why hasn’t she fallen in love with me already?” she laments.

Hyunjin peers at her over the top of her book. “I know you’re obsessed with yourself, but do you really think she  _ enjoys  _ having to save you?” she asks incredulously. “I can’t even believe I just said ‘save’, considering you’re a grown woman and literally a professional swimmer.”

“Not professional yet,” Jiwoo reminds her. “If I don’t get onto the national team all my training will have been for nothing.”

“Well, you’d better hope none of the judges frequent this beach,” Hyunjin says dryly, “because nobody in their right mind would let you on a swim team after seeing that shitshow.”

“You’re so mean,” Jiwoo whines. “Everyone is being so mean to me. I’m a fucking treasure!”

“One man’s trash,” Hyunjin says with a shrug, picking her book back up. Jiwoo sticks her tongue out at her from behind the cover, flopping back onto the towel. A nagging voice in her head tells her that she doesn’t have the time to be lounging around with the swim meet so close, that she should be spending every free second doing laps at the community pool.

However, another  _ much  _ louder voice tells her that she should spend as long as humanly possibly staring at the way Jungeun’s golden skin shines in the sun, and really, who is she to argue?

* * *

The next time is an accident, honest. Jiwoo accompanies Hyunjin to her next morning swim session, but to her disappointment Jungeun isn't working; instead, there's a broad man dozing off in the chair. Still, she sticks around to practice a little bit and Hyunjin even buys her lunch afterwards.

They agree to go back and do some more leisure swimming before calling it a day, and that’s what they’re doing when Jiwoo glances to the lifeguard seat out of habit and finds that at some point the guy lifeguard’s shift has ended and Jungeun’s there now. 

What’s more surprising is that Jungeun is already looking at Jiwoo when she glances over, their eyes locking. Jiwoo inhales sharply right as a small wave swells, and ends up choking on a large mouthful of salt water. Of course, that’s not humiliating enough, so the wave also sends her tumbling to the ocean floor. 

Thankfully Hyunjin has quick reflexes and instantly pulls her to her feet, thumping her on the back. “You okay?” she asks, brows furrowed. 

Jiwoo coughs pitifully “I’m fine. Don’t bother her.” She can’t even look at Jungeun, her cheeks red. 

Hyunjin looks at her, sympathetic, and sighs. “I’m gonna regret this,” she mutters, before raising her voice and waving in Jungeun’s direction. “Hey, some help for my friend over here?”

On cue, Jiwoo starts coughing again, more water coming up, and even from this distance she can see how Jungeun’s eyes roll as she climbs down with none of the urgency from the last few times. She and Hyunjin help Jiwoo back to the shore, and she pretends to need their assistance. 

“You know, I’m starting to think you should maybe avoid water,” Jungeun says, when she’s escorted them back to their umbrella. Hyunjin laughs and unsuccessfully tries to mask it as a cough.

Jiwoo chooses not to answer. After a few moments of silence, Hyunjin says, “you know, you’re pretty good at swimming. You should come to the meet next Sunday.”

Jungeun’s brows furrow. “A meet? For swimming? Who the fuck doesn’t know how to swim?” Her eyes dart to Jiwoo. “Well.” 

The almost-gone blush rises back up on Jiwoo’s cheeks. Hyunjin begins to explain the concept of a swim team to Jungeun, and Jiwoo gets up abruptly, gathering her things. Hyunjin looks at her curiously, but she knows Jiwoo better than to follow her. 

Maybe she knows Jiwoo  _ too  _ well, because when Jiwoo surfaces from the bottom of the community pool a half hour later, Hyunjin is there at the edge. 

“Had a feeling you’d be here,” she says. 

Jiwoo lifts herself up so she’s sitting beside Hyunjin, dangling her toes in the pool. “I just wanted to practice a little.”

Hyunjin squeezes her hand, even though it’s wet. “You know, she wouldn’t have said that if she saw you properly swim.”

Jiwoo gives a one-shouldered shrug. “I know. I’m just already nervous and second-guessing myself...”

“I mean, you  _ are _ the one who chose to start this whole charade anyway,” Hyunjin points out, and when Jiwoo gives her a death glare she quickly adds, “but you know you’re an excellent swimmer and you have nothing to worry about! If anything, I'm the one who should be sweating. My butterfly was off by half a second today.”

“Time for practice, then!” Jiwoo says cheerily. She enjoys the split second of realization on Hyunjin’s face before she drags her fully clothed friend  into the water. Her worries are quickly forgotten; it's hard to worry about anything when you're trying not to get murdered by Kim Hyunjin .

* * *

Jungeun makes it about another week before she can’t take it anymore. She calls her boss, makes up an excuse about the flu and not being able to come into work the next day, then puts on her shortest skirt and walks the familiar path to the club downtown.

She meets a girl at the bar who shouts her name over the thumping music ( _ Eve? _ ). She’s tall, with long black hair and a full pout, and she orders Jungeun a shot. By Jungeun’s standards, she’s perfect.

Still, when she presses Jungeun up against the alley wall mid-smoke and attaches her mouth to her neck, Jungeun can’t stop her mind from wandering to thoughts of red hair and big eyes. It throws her off her game, and she doesn’t stay for much longer, opting to sneak out when the raven-haired girl goes to the bathroom. Despite her fitful sleep that night, she still wakes up disgustingly early the next day.

After a few hours of nursing her mild headache and watching TV on the couch, though, it feels like she’s bursting out of her skin. Her summer usually has a steady routine: party as late as physically possibly, wake up the next day at sunset, get ready to go out, and then rinse and repeat. Without her stupid job to fill her days, she’s beyond bored, itching for anything to do.

Offhand, she remembers the conversation she’d had with Hyunjin on the beach, and how she’d told her the swim meet was going to be later today. It isn’t the most thrilling agenda item, sure, but it’s not like Jungeun has anything better to do. Also, if Hyunjin is going to be there, so is Jiwoo, and the thought should probably deter her but it just makes her more set on the plan.

It’s hosted at the pool in the local community center, and to Jungeun’s surprise it’s already half-packed when she arrives. It makes sense, though, for a beach town to have lots of swimmers. People even have handmade signs to support their friends and family, which Jungeun supposes is sweet. Personally, though, she doesn’t get the appeal of sports in the slightest. (Except women’s football for obvious reasons.)

She takes a seat in the back of the crowd, far from the chattering townspeople, and watches as the meet begins. There’s a group test, and then the individual swimmers are judged based on technique, speed, and other things Jungeun doesn’t quite catch. Even though she doesn’t understand it, it’s still somewhat entertaining to watch, especially with the competitive spirit so high.

Hyunjin is the second person to do her individual tests, and it doesn’t surprise Jungeun that she gains tremendous cheers from the crowd. Even based on their short conversation, she seems like the type to get along with everybody. Her swimming is impressive, too; while other people have faster times, she’s unparalleled in her technique scores.

There’s only so much Jungeun can take, though. Watching people swim already isn’t very interesting, and since she literally does it for a job, she tires of it fast. Although she’d wanted to stay behind and congratulate Hyunjin (they haven't released the list yet, but there's no way she isn't making the team), she’s bored and she wants to go.

She’s getting up from her seat when the announcer speaks into the microphone: “Alright, our next swimmer is Kim J—” 

The rest of the name is drowned out by a deafening cheer, and Jungeun jumps slightly, almost thinking for a second that they had said her name. Then she sees the person on the receiving end of all the applause, walking up to the pool and sporting a shit-eating grin. Jungeun could recognize that face anywhere, even if the fiery hair is tucked into a peach-colored swimming cap.

Jungeun sits back down because what the hell is Jiwoo doing here? Maybe signed up as a joke or something, or is planning to do really badly to make Hyunjin look better in comparison. Her doubts are soon snuffed, though. It quickly becomes evident that Jiwoo is an incredible swimmer.

Jungeun can’t take her eyes off Jiwoo for the entirety of her turn. Her body moves through the water as if it's air, as if it's as natural as walking. Jungeun almost can’t believe this graceful, athletic woman is the same spluttering idiot she has to rescue from shoulder-high water on a regular basis. She couldn't possibly look more different either, her eyes burning with determination and her body engaging in an intricate dance with the water.

She ends her evaluation with a jackknife dive that gets a perfect score, the water barely rippling when she cuts cleanly into it. She surfaces with a broad smile, tugging her cap off and letting her hair fall down and yeah. Jungeun is screwed. 

There are still several people that go after Jiwoo, but Jungeun sticks around. She isn’t watching them, anyway. Her eyes are glued to where Jiwoo is in the bleachers on the other side of the pool, joking with her friends and cheering on the contestants. 

At the end both Hyunjin’s and Jiwoo’s names are called, and Jungeun almost feels like she’s invading an intimate moment when she watches them scream and hug each other. The smile freezes on Jiwoo’s face when she spots Jungeun over Hyunjin’s shoulder. Jungeun gives a small wave, and if faces could talk, Jiwoo’s would say  _ busted.  _

Jiwoo trails behind as her friends flood out of the center to go get celebratory pizza for those who made it onto the team. Jungeun is leaning against the door like she’s waiting for her.

“You can swim,” Jungeun says, arms folded. “Not just swim. You can  _ really  _ swim.”

Jiwoo ducks her head, and it’s amusing to see her so suddenly shy. “Thank you,” she murmurs. 

When she doesn’t say anything else, Jungeun presses, “so is there a reason you pretend to drown almost every day and make me come get your ass?”

Jiwoo bites her lip and decides to just go for it. “To put it in lifeguard terms, I kinda wanted some mouth to mouth.”

The corners of Jungeun’s mouth twitch up of their own accord, and even though she doesn’t want to reward Jiwoo for her smart-assery she can’t help but lean in and kiss her, finally tangling her fingers in those silky locks. 

When she pulls back, Jiwoo thinks she could probably do a hundred laps of the pool and still not feel this out of breath. 

“Next time you want to kiss me, just ask like a normal person,” Jungeun instructs.

“Next time?” Jiwoo asks dumbly. Jungeun just smirks. 

“You know where to find me. Night, Jiwoo.” She gives her a chaste kiss before walking away, putting a little extra sway in her hips knowing that Jiwoo is definitely watching her go. 

Maybe this summer isn’t going to be so bad. 


End file.
